Skydancer2992

She looks kind of young. You might try a personal ad or Match.com.

There is an IPhone app called Ethanol Free. It shows your location and the Ethanol Free stations nearby. I also have Gas Buddy installed to check gas prices.

Sounds nice. Just don't like the name. Guino sounds a lot like Guano.

When cruising on a nuclear submarine on the surface, dolphins would swim in the bow wave, letting the energy of the boat help boost them along. The air molecules in front of the camper are compressed, creating a positive pressure that helps push the semi trunk in front of me forward. The driver ought to appreciate the assist. I don't mind when folks get on my bumper, they're helping me get better gas mileage. My Civic hybrid has two trip modes on its MPG meter. Besides instantaneous, which is displayed as a logarithmic bar chart, it indicates the average of the last trip. When I pull in behind a truck, the bar chart starts climbing to the 60 mpg area, then the trip meter begins to climb numerically. The hybrid battery needs replacement so I'm down to about 44 MPG on average stop and go traffic. The civic has 150,000 miles on it and a new battery is about $3000. Not sure of the cost/benefit of replacing. If I can find a junk yard battery, I could probably swap out the good battery sticks between the two. Cost would be about $600 plus the time of overhaul. I've seen wrecked Prius parts for sale on Ebay. The overactive engineering side of my brain considered what I could do with a Prius battery in the motorhome. Take power off the drive shaft for a regenerative brake. Eliminate the engine alternator and take power off the hybrid battery like my Hybrid Civic.

If you watched the Mythbusters episode, they explained that at two feet, Grant had to constantly adjust his speed and that was the reason the MPG went down. Here in the states, there are a lot of trucks going 55 to 60 mph. Some of them have company installed governors. I once rented a 26 foot Hertz truck and it would not exceed 55 mph, even on a downhill slope.

My normal mode of driving on long trips is to listen to an audible book and follow a semi-truck using the two second rule. This distance is about right to stay ahead of the two vortices coming off the top of the trailer. On a misty or rainy day you can see the vortices rotating, expanding and descending, looking like two cones off the top corners of the trailer. On days with a severe headwind, the motorhome might be limited to 55 mph in max overdrive without drafting. With drafting, I can gain back about 10 mph. When I'm going fast 65-75, it is usually when I need to make a lot of miles. Normally, I like to find a truck in the 60 mph range, which seems to be the norm for most semi's. On a sailboat, telltales are bits of yarn that show how air is flowing across the sail .For drafting, I look at the grass and trees by the shoulder to see how the semi is pulling the air along. On a day with strong cross wind, drafting is useless to me so I stay further back 150 to 200 feet, and just let the truck be my guide. To me, it seems like I'm less fatigued when following a truck. The high speed traffic seem more inclined to pass me instead of sitting on my bumper - I can't go any faster than the semi, so sitting on my bumper isn't going to make me speed up. A story on Car Talk had a quote from an aerodynamics expert. He basically said that there is a symbiosis between drafting vehicles. The vehicle out front benefits from reduced rear drag and the vehicle behind doesn't have to part the wind. Add a third vehicle and the mutual benefit increases.

However, the 3T link no longer shows any Toyota kits.

Genuine Toyota parts are pricey but good quality. Plug wires, probably $70, distributor cap $50, thermostat $40... Autozone is like half those prices but the parts look flimsy and often break easily. After using Autozone's best plug wires and having the contacts pull out when changing plugs, I went back to Toyota wires. I've had better luck buying name brand parts from Advance or finding Toyota parts on Ebay. Probably half your bill was parts and half labor. Not necessarily a ripoff but average for what a dealer is going to charge. When I used to take my car to the dealer, I found that mechanics liked talking to the owner and they offered good advice on maintenance. They also encouraged me to do some things myself, like my brakes. Starters, alternators, etc. were not much harder. My main disappointments have been with non-Toyota mechanics. Sometimes well-meaning but not knowledgeable on how to calibrate a lathe for turning brake drums. Or calibrating their wheel alignment tools. Or the well meaning kid who overtorked the front wheel nut so tight that the disc warped.

Toyota trucks and their engines are very reliable. The 3.0 V6 has known to go one million KM without needing an overhaul. The transmission is rock solid. The engines are easy to take apart and reassemble. Toyota did a good job of standardizing bolt sizes. Toyota factory repair manuals are straight forward and have lots of pictures for those who can't or don't want to read. The 3.0 is usually denigrated on the Yotatech site for its lack of power at the high end. The engine was designed to be a truck engine, with low end torque. Changing the fluids (engine oil, transmission, cooling and maybe differential) should be primary importance. These vehicles sit a lot and condensation degrades the utility of the fluids. If you do this yourself, the condition of the old fluids will clue you in about the health of the vehicle and past maintenance. Change the spark plugs, rotor and rotor cap. Since these are older technology, they are less reliable than modern vehicles. The rotor itself is the most vulnerable as the constant arcing wears it down, creating greater resistance and encouraging electricity to look for other paths, say directly to the cap. The 3.0 V6 is non-interference, the valves and cylinders do not contact each other. If the belt breaks, you put on a new belt and keep on driving. Some of the young guys on the Yotatech group seem happy driving their timing belts to 150,000 miles and beyond. Uhaul changed the belts out at 90,000 mile intervals, along with the water pump. If you elect to changing the timing belt, all other belts have to come off anyway. Most mechanics should be willing to put on new belts with no additional charge for labor. Most timing belt kits come with a water pump and a couple of rollers. Doing the job yourself is an educational experience. As a general rule, Toyota seems to put timing chains on engines that are interference and timing belts on non-interference.. Honda and Ford put timing belts on interference engines. The belt breaks and the engine will probably bend up a bunch of parts. Ford Escorts seem to have a reputation for self destructing. However, they also had lubrication issues as well. Before doing a valve job, do a compression test. If one of the valves is not closing, there will be a low compression on that cylinder. A valve that does not close cannot transfer heat to the cylinder head and will burn. I like my V6 and the power it produces. It seems adequate on level ground but when there's a headwind or uphill, I wish it were the 3.4 V6 instead.

How about some status reports. Sounds like something I'd try once the kids are grown and I can downshift.

Interesting presentation: DOE’s Effort to Reduce Truck Aerodynamic Drag through Joint Experiments and Computations Base Flaps, those flaps we are starting to see on the back of semi-trailers, give a 4% improvement in fuel economy. Trailer Skirts, yield a 6% improvement. However, greatest improvement is from reducing speed.

I have a hybrid Honda Civic and it seems to reach max MPG around 45 MPH (60 MPG). On the interstate, I can draft behind a Semi Truck at 65 MPH, using the two second rule and get about 70 MPG. I do draft with my RV, still using the two second rule. I have one those "I'm not tailgating, I'm drafting" bumper stickers on the back of the RV. In city traffic, I leave a lot of following distance and time the lights. I wish the camper had an MPG meter like my Civic. Actually, if every car in had an MPG meter, driving habits might change enough to make a significant reduction in energy usage. My 91 Winnebago seems to have excellent aerodynamic braking. I rarely use my brakes as that means wasted gas. I do accelerate on the downhill and use the momentum to get up the next, letting off the gas as I near the top to recoup the dynamic energy. Also, I don't want to go too fast down the next hill. I turn off my cab AC when possible but especially when accelerating or going uphill. The AC is probaly about 5 HP and the alternator 1 HP if charging both batteries. I read about one Toyota RV owner who said that his camper would get better MPG when pulling a trailer. Makes sense aerodynamically as the drag from the vacuum bubble would be reduced. Installing a wing style racing spoiler on the top rear of the camper may also produce similar results. And it would look kind of cool. If I see one at a junk yard, I might go that route. I need my air conditioner but my plan is to install one of the lower style units. Another consideration would be one of those mini split ductless air conditioners. I could remove the cabinet next to the refrigerator and install the inside unit there. The outside unit could go on the back of the camper but would be vulnerable to theft. Or it could go on top, since the AC hookup is already in place. Oriented like a fin, maybe, and add a nose and tail cone to it to help streamline it.

I just replaced one of my U joints in September on my 91 Warrior. At first I thought it was a tire harmonic from new front tires because it only seemed to occur at around 30 mph. While crawling under the camper to replace my fuel filter, I pushed on the drive shaft and it shifted about a half inch. I rotated it about 30 degrees back and forth and it shouldn't do that. That should not happen. It should be firm in place with no play whatsoever. Examining the U joint, I could see that one of the bearing cups was about half worn through and was not far from allowing the shaft inside to break through. My planned trip in five days to the Ron Coleman Quartz Mine was in danger unless I acted fast. Working on my back, I removed the drive shaft which was surprisingly easy but uncomfortable. Four bolts connecting the drive shaft to the differential, two bolts on a support bracket and four bolts holding the two drive shafts together. The shaft slides out from the transmission so easily you will accidentally let it fall and clatter on the concrete. Recommend a Sharpie pen for making alignment marks so that you can confidently put everything back into place like the original orientation. Picture of the universal HERE. Getting the old U joint out became a challenge. Even with a hydraulic press at a the Navy base auto hobby shop, it wouldn't yield and was starting to damage the drive shaft. The part did have 230,000 miles on it and was disfigured by damage. The guy on duty at the shop ended up cutting one of the cups off to free the spyder so that it could be pulled out. The press was a big help although the new spider was a bit stubborn going in. Reinstallation was easy enough but since I had not used a sharpie to make marks on the shaft, I assembled it 180 degrees off original orientation, thought better of it, and reassembled it correctly. May or may not have made a difference. I had made scratch marks with a screwdriver but in all the work on the shaft, the marks were hard to find again. I learned a lot. However, it may have been easier to drop the drive shaft off at a machine shop with the new spyder joint and paid them to replace the joint. I wasted about six hours trying various ways to remove the old spyder.

To expand a little, the plug and coil wires are high voltage but low amperage. They can give you a jolt for a split second, like a farmer's electrified fence. Most likely, some of the electricitiy is arcing from the wires to the nearest metal surface, and not going to the intended spark plug, causing a misfire. A lot of misfires and you get rough idle and poorer gas mileage. Thecontinued arcing is causing increased damage to the remaining insulation as well as stressing your coil. If it gets bad enough, you should get a Check Engine light. As a temporary fix, you can wrap some electrical tape around the exposed wires. This will provide some insulation between the bare wire and a metal surface. The best fix is to replace the wires, which are not expensive. They usually have the numbers of the plugs on the wire. Replace them one at a time to remove any chance of confusion. It would be a good idea to buy a new rotor and a new distributor cap as well. So, it's an easy fix. One you can do yourself. The worst case is that you will get stranded if the arcing to ground saps all your coil's output. If you have the Toyota dealer take care of it, probably a $200 job.

I hated getting ripped off and just began doing all the work myself. It's been ten years since a mechanic last worked on one of my cars. Mostly, the maintenance has been far easier than I ever imagined. I bought a Toyota factory service manual and learned auto repair. Various friends have helped me out over the years and my confidence grew. If you are going to replace the seal, use google to find others who've already done it. Some post pictures of their work. Yotatech and Toyotanation seem to be gathering spots for those who like to open up Toyotas. A Harbor freight wheel puller is what I use to remove the main pulley.

Sunray's camper looks like the front wheels are about to lift off the ground. I wonder what it weighs.

If you replace the spark plug wires yourself, the cost will be under $20. You can find the wires HERE

About 15 years ago, the Toyota dealer charged me $50 to replace the front seal. The occasional drop of oil on the driveway was starting to become several drops of oil. Looking in the Toyota Repair manual, it looks like the seal is just behind the main pulley.

Looking at the Yotatech site, there are headers for the V6. A couple of guys have put engine or exhaust driven turbo's on as well. Seems like a lot of work for dubious results. Without sufficient back pressure, some of the incoming mixture will scavenge out the exhuast valve and efficiency will be lost. With reciprocating airplane engines, creating back pressure is usually what's required to increase efficiency. The best upgrade for power is to put a 3.4 L into the camper. It will mate to the existing transmission but will require some custom exhaust work. Captain Jack's Swap: http://s1190.beta.photobucket.com/user/Captainjack1748/library/Motorhome%20v6%20Engine%20Swap/#/user/Captainjack1748/library/Motorhome%20v6%20Engine%20Swap?&_suid=135697954096003813987265738777 An good article on the 3VZ design: http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Article/2496/rebuilding_the_toyota_30l_v6.aspx

Tire Rack has a conversion chart. Looks like a 195/75/14 or a 205/70/14 might work. The 205 would be wider but might have load bearing advantage. Kumho has a 195/75/14 with a load of 1400 pounds. Cost is $70. Interesting note on load for car tires that might be used for LT purposes. http://www.tirerack....e.jsp?techid=70 " Euro-metric and P-metric tire sizes were originally designed for cars and station wagons, however they have also been used for light truck applications because most vans, pickup trucks and SUVs are used to carry passengers, not cargo. Additionally, most of the new light trucks being produced today are equipped with Euro- or P-metric sized tires because they offer lighter weight, lower rolling resistance and less aggressive tread designs (which makes them better riding, more fuel efficient and less noisy) than typical heavy-duty tires. However there is an idiosyncrasy governing the use of Euro-metric and P-metric sized tires on vans, pickup trucks and SUVs because these vehicles have a higher center of gravity and greater probability of being overloaded than passenger cars. In order to accommodate this, vehicle engineers are required to specify Euro- or P-metric sized tires rated to carry 10% more weight than would be required if they were used on a passenger car. This is the equivalent of taking the tire's load capacity branded on its sidewall and multiplying it by 91%. For example, a Euro- or P-metric tire designated to carry 2,000 pounds on a car is restricted to carrying 1,820 pounds when used on a van, pickup truck or SUV. This size selection practice provides the vehicle manufacturer with the appropriate tire load capacity. "

I owned an 85 4Runner with the 22RE for about 15 years. Later, I upgraded to a 96 4Runner with the V6. When I wanted a camper, it was going to be a Toyota. I have a V6 91 Warrior, which I'm very happy with. To me, the Warrior is comparable to the 85 4runner in terms of acceleration and passing. Both vehicles, I turn off the AC to get a little extra oomph when passing on the interstate. The V6 has a lot of torque compared to the 22RE. I get a lot of power in the 2000 - 3000 rpm range. The 22RE needed to whine at 4000-5000 for similar performance. The V6 is a non-interference engine, the 22RE is not. The timing belt breaks. Get a new timing belt and be on your way. On my 96 4Runner, I've put about 140,000 miles on a timing belt and not had a problem with breaking or slipping. the 22RE needed a new chain and gears after 140,000. Cost for timing belt change was $300 vice $1000 for the chain and gears and guides. The advantage of a V6 motorhome is not having to worry about what kind of axle it comes with, not worrying about whether driving in overdrive will damage the transmission and further, having the power to go keep up with traffic on the interstate. I use the factory shop manuals to carry out all the repairs and maintenance. The 3.0 liter V6 is an easy engine to work on. Toyota did a good job of standardizing bolt sizes. With 10mm, 12 mm, 14 mm, 16mm sockets and wrenches you can just about dismantle and rebuild the vehicle. My Warrior has 230,000 miles. I expect it to go a lot further, like the 340,000 miles my 96 4runner has gone. The 22RE was blowing blue smoke at 235,000 miles but that may have been from driving pedal to the metal. After owning a V6 camper, it would be hard to go back to a four cylinder.

When you've worked on some of the most intimate parts of a truck, you feel like you know her a lot better. She also seems to appreciate the attention. I know there are prettier campers than mine. However, I'm happy with the one that I know so well vice a stranger.

I'm 51 and a Commander in the US Navy. I've owned Toyota cars and trucks since 1986. When it came time to buy a camper, I wanted a Toyota. Found it at the Hot Springs Ark. Habitat for Humanity during a silent auction. The only bidder was me, $2500 for a 91 Warrior with a gouged out left corner in the cab bed area and 200,000 miles on the odometer. With the factory manuals, I've been able to avoid auto mechanics for the last ten years. On the Warrior, I immediately replaced the timing belt, water pump, plugs, belts, distributor, rotor, engine oil, differential oil, transmission oil and coolant. The cab needed a lot of fiber glass and resin. Then it was off on a trip from Memphis to the Grand Canyon. Then Florida twice. Next year was Sturgis, SD, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Air Force Academy. This year, did a trip to Dallas, TX to collect fossils. Made several trips to hunt crystals in Arkansas. Dug some fluorite in Kentucky. I have Marde Gras in New Orleans next on my mind - unless the Navy sends me somewhere else.